iRobot Roomba 780 robot vacuum October 2011
Will this robot replace your vacuum?
If you hate housework, a robotic vacuum cleaner certainly sounds appealing. But can you really put your feet up and rely on a machine to clean? Read on for our first impressions of the iRobot Roomba 780.
Roomba has been making robotic vacuum cleaners since 2002, and the Roomba 780 is its latest top-of-the range model. At £400 it’s pricey, costing more than all but one of the vacuums we’ve tested recently.
Easy cleaning
The iRobot is certainly a clever piece of kit. It’s simple to get working straight away and it seemed to navigate around furniture and pick up dust and dirt with ease.
Watch our video review of the iRobot Roomba 560 – a predecessor to the Roomba 780.
The iRobot Roomba 780 can vacuum under furniture
Decent dust pick up
We thought the iRobot did a pretty good job of cleaning up to the edge of rooms and around chair and table legs, thanks to a spinning brush that pushes dirt into its path.
The robot fits under standard beds, but can’t get under very low furniture or into tight nooks and crannies.
On-board sensors ensure the robot won’t fall down stairs, and bumpers on the edges mean it doesn’t knock into furniture at speed. It automatically went into reverse when it encountered obstacles and untangled itself when caught in a cable.
Good for pet hair
We’ve not tested it in our labs, but the Roomba 780 seemed to cope well with dust and dirt on carpets and hard floors.
We were impressed at the amount of pet hair picked up (and our researcher’s cats were intrigued by the robot, rather than terrified by it).
The dust collection bin is rather small so needs emptying after every couple of uses, but this is easy to do.
£400The cost of the Roomba 780
Slow progress
iRobot says the Roomba 780 uses both acoustic and optical sensors to detect dust and dirt.
We found Roomba moved around the room quite erratically and often re-visited clean areas multiple times. This meant it took quite a long time to vacuum a room, so it’s no use when you want to clean in a hurry.
You can program a seven-day cleaning schedule into the robot, so it could be set to vacuum while you’re out. The Roomba automatically returns to its charging station when the cleaning is done.
The iRobot Roomba 780 robotic vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner controls
The Roomba is controlled via a touch screen panel on the top of the vacuum or by remote control. The instructions are relatively easy to follow.
The vacuum comes with two ‘lighthouses’ – small battery-operated infrared boxes that create a virtual wall which Roomba won’t cross – so you can direct it to clean the areas you want.
The iRobot Roomba 780 is certainly an impressive and entertaining piece of kit, but at £400 it’s expensive – and you’ll still need a regular vacuum to tackle hard-to reach places and when you need to clean your floors in a hurry.
It’s available from the iRobot website, irobot.com/uk, and independent electrical shops.
Pros: Good cleaning, no effort required
Cons: Slow at vacuuming, you’ll still need a regular vac for speedy cleaning and to reach awkward areas, expensive
- Take a look at our review of the Samsung Navibot robotic vacuum
- Top tips to help you buy the best vacuum cleaner
- Compact vacs: reviews of the latest stick cordless vacs and handheld vacuum cleaners
